Ali Grusha and Matt Jenco wed on a farm in Berks County

Officiated by Urbane Peachey, Officiant, Journeys of the Heart

June, 2010 included a memorable  wedding on a manicured horse farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania.   The ground of the spacious indoor riding stable was covered with carpets; lovely  sweeping white drapes created a centerpiece high above. The aroma of  a clean country  horse stable  enhanced the ambiance!

The bride, Ali Grusha , who works in pharmaceutical sales, is an enamored and skilled rider, along with her mother; both are horse specialists.   The farm included two Appaloosa and two brown quarter horses to which the bride was tightly attached.  

The first view that caught my eye as I arrived at the farm for the wedding was the beautiful bride, Ali, in her wedding dress being photographed while side-saddle on her favorite Appaloosa.  Both bride, Ali,  and groom, Matt Jenco, were bonded to a miniature Australian Shepherd dog, Colby; they required that the horses and dog should be named in the ceremony, and so they were.

Colby, the couple’s Shepherd dog lay quietly and observantly at the feet of the bride’s mother during the ceremony until he was called to present
the rings after the vows were spoken.  Colby presented and returned as directed to his designated place.

The ceremony praised the diverse interests of the couple.  For example, Matt, an engineer has an interest in farm equipment, has also gone scuba diving for ship wrecks in the Atlantic Ocean.

The ceremony gave dignified expression to the couple’s commitment in the open and playful ambiance of the farm.  I, as officiant, prepared and
presented a short reflection based on the couple’s love story, tracing the earliest meeting of the couple in a university public speaking class to the
bonding moment in the rolling hills of a Berks County farm.